It is heartening to learn that Ethiopia has a surplus and that too without
GM crops. It is a slap in the face of all those who swear by the industry's
interest and have been saying all these years that the only hope for Africa
is to go in for GM crops. It is a resounding slap in the face of all those,
specially the scientific community, which has very cleverly deviated from
the path of 'good science' to mislead the people into accepting the false
virtues of the risky and environmentally-unsafe GM technology.

The world needs to salute the people of Ethiopia. The world needs to
wake up and realise that if Ethiopia, which has often been dubbed as a
'hopeless case', can do it and that too without GM technology, why can't
the rest of the continent. It is time the political leadership in Africa
stops being bullied and starts to represent its own people, their need
and aspirations. The political and scientific leadership needs to stop
being led by the industry. Africa can do it. After all, Ethiopia has shown
us the way.

We are getting sick of those who eat, talk and sleep GMOs. They will
go on arguing even if there is nothing left to argue. They will try to
find fault when there is none. After all, they have a job to perform. How
can they accept the success with food surpluses in Ethiopia when it goes
against the interest of the industry they represent? It hurts them to know
that the world can actually produce its food and nutritious need without
GMOs.

Ethiopia has shown us the way. We need to stand up and salute the people
of Ethiopia.

Dr Tewolde Gebre Egziabher, heading the Environmental Protection Agency
of Ethiopia, will shortly be announcing the results of a study showing
that Ethiopia is producing a surplus of food for the seventh year in succession.

Journalists and other visitors are welcome to witness for themselves:

* All this food is produced by small farmers using traditional farming
practices. (The only commercial farming is in cotton).

* There is no "improved seed" produced by commercial breeders - all
seed is enhanced, selected and exchanged by small farmers.

* There is a minimal use of chemical fertilisers and no use of genetically
engineered crops.

* The country has built up good stocks of food from the small farmers,
to ensure it can supply its people with food if there is a drought or shortage
of food.

* Visits can be organised to the site where the notorious photos of
starving people were taken in 1985, which have remained as the image of
Africa in a helpless, endless cycle of starvation. Large areas of
this dry region have been recuperated through regenerating the ecosystems
(water harvesting, water source protection, prevention of erosion, control
of grazing etc.)

* Other sites demonstrate the work of the award winning Ethiopian Gene
Bank (Biodiversity Institute) which enhances productivity by increasing
the diversity and density of farmer varieties growing together - again
a simple ecological principle.

The Ethiopian example is particularly significant post the Food Summit
(Rome, June 2002), and pre the Earth Summit (Johannesburg, August 2002)
where:

* At the Food Summit the US government announced that it was investing
$100 million in promoting biotechnology in developing countries, having
bullied the governments at the Food and Agriculture Organisation to say
that biotech would help reduce hunger.

* NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development), and the pro-globalisation
institutions (World Bank, World Trade Organisation, IMF etc.) all promote
industrial agriculture, which means the use of hybrid and genetically engineered
seed, chemicals, pesticides, monocultures, export oriented agriculture
etc, as the way to increase productivity and feed the growing populations.
Biotech agriculture will be strongly promoted at the Earth Summit (as it
was at the Food Summit).

* Also at the Earth Summit there will be up to 300 small farmers from
different African countries insisting that they will continue to feed Africa's
growing population; and that they will continue to defend their livelihood
systems and food sovereignty.

* The drought and starvation that will be surrounding South Africa at
the time of the Earth Summit will intensify the polarisation between the
biotech claims that genetic engineering is the answer and the growing resistance
of small farmers, consumers, civil society groups and increasingly governments
and other institutions, to the dangers of the biotech industry's drive
to control seed production and supply and hence the food chain - its hidden
agenda.

Ethiopia shows that diverse, ecologically and culturally adapted food
production systems, generated and controlled by millions of small farmer
households, provide food security and protect the people and the country
from foreign and commercial control of food. Self-reliance in food
at the household and country level, is the foundation on which democracies
can be built.

Invitation

* To visit these sites and interview Dr Tewolde before 13th July.

* To join a celebration of cultural biodiversity practices in Ethiopia,
with rural children from around the country on 12,13 July. The new
"green" President has been invited to open it; and Dr Tewolde will be announcing
the results of a report on how Ethiopia is now feeding itself.